Was NASCAR more intense and better back in the day compared to how it is now?

Look, back during the era of Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Michael Schumacher (who was just breaking into NASCAR back then), followed by Mika Häkkinen, Damon Hill, and the rest—I honestly think things were just more interesting back then. Today’s cars and drivers lack that certain "X-factor" those legends had...
In my book, it didn't matter if you were pulling for Ford, Williams, McLaren, or even Benetton at the time; all that mattered was whether the race actually delivered something worth watching...
And don't even get me started on the cars from that period. They weren't cluttered with the hyper-sophisticated electronics and tech we see today—it was basically just raw power. We're talking absolute beasts with 1200 HP, mostly driven by those 1.5L turbo engines, if I remember correctly.
It feels like all that magic just "vanished" once Mika Häkkinen moved on and that Michael Schumacher dominance took over, doesn't it?

Honestly, looking at it this way just makes the whole thing way more interesting

Raymond Ortiz89 said:this way makes it even more interesting

What on earth have you lost your mind over?

It’s all about chasing that higher level of innovation and pure, unadulterated excitement
I mean, look, if you’re stuck in some niche where every single race feels identical and they’re all running the exact same engines, why on earth would you even bother watching? If there isn't anything interesting happening, just turn it off, right?

Footage from the 70s and 80s was definitely more interesting than what we're seeing today...

If you ask me, Formula 1 is actually decent right now—definitely way more interesting than it was five years ago.🙂

But man, if only the rest of the teams could actually catch up to Ferrari and McLaren instead of trailing them by a whole lap every single race!

In my opinion, the '98 and '99 seasons were easily the most interesting ones.
The Schumacher Hakkinen rivalry and all that drama involving Coulthard.
It was unpredictable right until the finish line. I still remember when Coulthard intentionally blocked Schumacher during an overtake attempt just as he was trying to make his move.

Zachary Myers53 said:Man, I still get heated thinking about how Coulthard basically slammed the brakes right when Schumacher was trying to make his move—just total gamesmanship when Schumi was actually putting in the work to pass him.

Honestly? That was one of Coulthard's smartest plays. 😁

Formula 1 was actually decent back in the mid-90s—even the scandals felt way less heavy-handed, you know? Nowadays, sure, the tech is insane, but all these endless rules, constant restrictions, and the way the refs call everything... 😕

Look, guys, if we're talking about how competitive this is, I doubt it’s ever been better. We’ve got five or six drivers on the grid right now who could realistically fight for the win any given Sunday. Back when you had Schumacher dominating for a decade, people still complained that it wasn't exciting enough. So what exactly are you looking for? For me, after years of being totally bored with the sport, I actually became a fan again because the racing is finally worth watching. As for the rules, I think the FIA is just trying to find that sweet spot, but with all this tech changing constantly, it's a hell of a difficult job to pull off.

Schumacher's seasons—maybe excluding 2003—were easily the most boring stretches in Formula 1 history.😁
The guy was just a machine, though—always clinical, always finding a way to win...
(if you don't count him letting Barrichello have a win here and there just to keep his loyal shadow happy).

wiredseal7 said:except I’d probably let Barrichello have first place if he’d still be playing the loyal soldier for me

👍